E340 
.154 B7 




1* 



: ++# : 










*0 * 



t I 



a>* 



****** a _a +, ~ r* cr <D, "o • » * /> *■> 












« <. 4 <£ 



wv ~0 *%. "7* 



4^ v . 



• « ° ° £? 



•in' ,1> 



* 






o 



V^ • * * A u 



o < 






o * 



■ » 









JV 



-<v 



^ 



■ ■^ 



//A o •** 



* i 



& 






c ' 






w 



0*0 



<<&■' r ° " ° + ^Jk 



& 






^ "^ 






A^ 



♦ 



- -<5 



.o<c^:>< 



'O. i* 



^* ^ ^ 



•» a 0, ^\> 'T^m*?* ,<y 



e^o 










V 



^ 



O 



^^0 A* 

" ° A 






fcX,/.^ 



'^9 



m* 






4 <^» 






^°^ : 



° ^^ :^^^^* a^^ ^ 



« 










> ^ A^ * f? 





















** ,♦* .* JUKI * Xr> 4* .>Vao <*, i« 










** ^ \$jJS^* ,^*\ 'vffirs A 4?\ \<5| 










RALPH I. IMERSOLL 



r 



BRIEF SKETCH 



OP THE 



LIFE AND CHARACTER 



OP TIIE LATE 



RALPH I. IMERSOLL. 



By HENRY BRONSON, M. D. 



J^ew JIaven: 

FROM PRESS OF HOGGSON & ROBINSON. 

1873. 



5. 









RALPH I. INGERSOLL. 



Ralph Isaacs Ingersoll, the son of Jonathan and Grace 
(Isaacs) Ingersoll, was born in New Haven, February, 8th l 789 
in the house now known as the Park House, on Chapel Street, 
midway between Temple and Gregson streets. His father, a 
gentleman of great moral worth, and "among the foremosl in 
his profession," was a member of the court of assistants, after- 
ward state attorney, in 1793 elected a representative in Con- 
gress (he declined to serve,) eight years a judge of the superior 
court, and lieutenant-governor from 181G to the time of his 
death, January 12th, 1823, at the age of seventy-five. The 
grandfather was the Rev. Jonathan Ingersoll, who went from 
Milford to Ridgefield, where he was settled as a Congregational 
minister, and there died in 1778, in the fortieth year of his minis- 
try, f Jared Ingersoll, of New Haven, the famous stamp-master, 
oneof the ablest lawyers of his time, J and the ancestor of those of 
the name in Philadelphia, was his grand-uncle. A junior bro- 
ther, also distinguished, was the late Judge Charles A. Ingersoll. 
His fourth son, his successor in practice, is now the Governor of 
Connecticut. Another son was a representative in Congress 
from this (New Haven) district in 1851-55. 

After his graduation at Yale College in 1808, young Ingersoll 
read law two years with Seth P. Staples, and then opened an 
office in New Haven. The period was an interesting one. Pier- 
pont Edwards, able and eloquent, had recently been transferred 

* This sketch, much abbreviated, was printed in the lasl volume of the "Connecticut 
Reports." 
t See Goodrich's "Recollections of a Life Time," Chapter Vill. 

X See Dwisrht's Statistical Account of New Haven, p. 73. 



to the bench of the District Court of the United States, leaving 
al the bar, as its most prominent members, David Daggett, 
Nathan Smith and S. P. Staples, each pre-eminent in his way. 
The Last will be remembered as the founder of the Law school 
of New Haven. Of the two others, the first had the advantage 
in early education, scientific training and compact powerful 
argument. The last was distinguished for native shrewdness, 
practical knowledge of character in every phase and station of 
life, and marvelous, matchless skill in finding his way to the 
minds and hearts of juries. They long lived side by side, and 
were on excellent terms. Perhaps equal in natural gifts, and 
equally adroit in combat, they were usually pitted against each 
other. Gentlemen of the old school, their exalted reputations, 
dignified, portly forms and courtly manners — their white-top- 
boots, ruffled shirts and powdered hair— made them note-worthy 
personages in every circle. Smith soon became interested in the 
young advocate, gave him his hand, and encouraged him as he 
had opportunity. In return, the latter assisted his friend in the 
preparation of his cases, and ever after spoke of him in terms 
of admiration. He considered him a thorough and very able 
lawyer, of infinite tact and skill in the management of his cases. 
Said he, a few months before his death: "He was a wonderful 
man, and, at the bar, feared nobody." 

It is the best evidence of Mr. Ingersoll's energy and talent 
that he was able, in the presence and by the side of these cham- 
pions of the law, first to stand erect, then to attain eminence. 
Doubtless the models he had before him awakened ambition, and 
thus contributed to his success. Four years later than himself, 
there came to the New Haven county bar two other young men, 
natives of the same town, who were his companions and friends, 
allies or antagonists, for nearly fifty years.* While memory lives, 

* It is not a part of the present plan to speak of those who came later npon the stage, 
or were not so intimately or so long associated with Mr. Ingersoll. 



Dennis Kimberly and Roger S. Baldwin will not be forgotten. 
After their accession, there were in New Haven six lawyers and 
advocates, all in practice (or temporarily absent*) in 1614, and 
all eminent or soon to become so. Three were veterans of the 
previous century, and three were beginners, toiling and waiting. 
Staples removed to New York, and died in 1861, aged eighty- 
five. Daggett became a judge of the superior court in L826, and 
died in 1851, at the age of eighty-six. Smith was elected a 
senator of the United States, and in 1835 died suddenly in 
Washington, aged sixty-five. When the last of these was gone, 
the three others, now in the prime of manhood, stepped to t In- 
front, and for almost thirty years were leading members of tin- 
New Haven county bar. They were a remarkable group, each 
conspicuous for talent, integrity and manly qualities. General 
Kimberly, a noble man, with many precious gifts, was the first 
to be taken away. He died December 14th, 1862, at the age of 
seventy-two. Governor Baldwin followed February L9th, L863, 
aged seventy. His mind was a storehouse of foundation-princi- 
ples of which he made the most effective use. If he had a superior 
for legal acumen, keen and refined analysis, ami severe, perspi- 
cuous and convincing logic, his name is forgotten. In this man- 
ner the group, first of six then of three, was reduced to <>ne. 
The survivor, a patriarch in the profession, lingered a few years 
near the shore, and then joined his old-time friends across the 
flood ! 

As the associate, often as the opponent of these strong men, 
Mr. Ingersoll won his reputation. Merit, assiduity and self-re- 
liance carried him victoriously over every obstacle. Like others 
who achieve success, he did not rely on patrimony (for he had 
none), or social position, or powerful friends, or any external 
helps, but on himself. Business, honor, the friendship of the wise 
and good, and all the rewards which the right mind seeks flowed 



* Daggett was a senator in Congress from 1813 to 1819. 



in upon him because he deserved them. Very justly, the world 
is most ready to help those who are struggling to help themselves. 

During the war of 1812 and immediately afterward, military 
honors were much sought by aspiring young men. In 1813 Mr. 
Ino-ersoll had become second-lieutenant of the horse guards, and 
the next year, brigade-major and inspector, second brigade, under 
General Howe. While holding the last office, an incident oc- 
curred which sets forth the manner in which, thus early, he dis- 
charged his duties. At a parade in Guilford, while subjecting 
the implements of war to a severer test than was customary, he 
broke many swords and bayonets. Great indignation followed, 
and personal violence was threatened. To satisfy the dissatisfied, 
chief among whom was one Captain Stone, of Guilford, who 
brought the charges, a court-martial was ordered, and he was 
tried publicly, in the old court-house on the green, for "unofficer- 
like conduct and neglect of duty." It was a rough ordeal for 
one so young and sensitive; but undismayed he undertook his 
own vindication, and made a ringing, most effective defence. He 
was a modest, handsome youth, of a delicate somewhat fragile 
form, whose whole appearance was prepossessing. When suffi- 
cient interest had been awakened, he bared his puny arm to show 
with how little force the mischief had been done, and (inferenti- 
ally) how unfit for service were the shattered weapons. The 
effect was electric. The accused was " fully and honorably ac- 
quitted," the general orders announcing the fact bearing date 
June 24, 1815. The trial made the eloquent inspector famous. 

While still young, Mr. Ingersoll, coming from the old federal 
stock, (of which no one has need to be ashamed,) took an interest 
in politics. His father was one of the most eminent and honored 
of the dominant party, and an influential Episcopalian. For the 
purpose of conciliating the dissenters, (those dissenting from the 
" standing order" of Congregationalism,) he was made lieutenant- 
governor in 1816, and thus became the first elective state officer 



which the "proscribed" sects had furnished. The next year 
(181V) he was again nominated, and also placed upon the liberal 
or " toleration " ticket, headed by Oliver Wolcott, an old bul dis- 
affected federalist, who was supposed to favor reform. I ' nex | 
teclly, Governor Smith was defeated, and Wolcott and his asso- 
ciate, and a majority of the lower house on the same side, were 
elected. The contest was bitter, and to a largi extenl personal. 
By this maneuver, the federal phalanx was broken.* In the midsl 
of the fray, on the eve of the election, young [ngersoll appeared 
— appeared as the opponent of proscription, and the advocate «>!' 
equality and popular rights. Mr. Converse, of the New Haven 
Journal, spoke of him as "a young man of handsome talents," 
who injured himself by supporting a cause his judgmenl did n«>t 
approve. A year later, he was nominated by the reform party 
for Congress, doubtless without expecting his election. 

The revolution, begun in 1817, was completed in 1818, and a 
new constitution, taking the place of King Charles' charter, 
framed and adopted. In April, 1819, on the third ballot, by a 
majority of twelve votes, Mr. Ingersoll, at the age of thirty, was 
elected first representative from New Haven, previously a strong 
federal town. The other nominee on tin 1 same side, Dr. Levi 
Ives, was defeated by federal strategy and seven votes. Thi 
sion which followed, on account of the changed constitution aid 
the legislation it made necessary, was an important one. In the 



* The old federal party relied for its support mainly on the Congregationali-ts : the 
democratic party, on the minor sects or dissenters. The minor sects (of which the Kpi-' ,,- 
palians ranked first in numbersandrespectability, the Baptists, probably, Becond, and the 
Methodists third, the TJniversalists and their like being "heathen,") may have equaled 
half the population of the State. But certain influential federalists, the Ingersolls, Nathan 
Smith, Asa Chapman and others, were zealous churchmen, and sympathized of 
with the lesser denominations. When these, joined by a few liberal ("recreant ") Congre- 
gationalists, became the advocates of religious toleration, a division in the federal rank- 
was effected. The seceders or desert ers, so termed, were called tolerationists. In thei 
united attempt at reform, they were reinforced by the old fashioned republicans 
mocrats, and thus by a general coalition obtained a majority of votes. By estimation, 
the lower house in May, 1821, three years after the revolution, was composed of seventy 
federalists, ninety old school republicans and forty tolerationists. 



8 

house were present several prominent men of both parties, but 
it was not strong in intellect, particularly on the side of the re- 
formers. Our friend was chosen second clerk, (the clerks were 
then members,) assumed the second place on the judiciary com- 
mittee, and immediately took a high position among the leaders 
in debate. He appears to have been an earnest, industrious and 
useful member, speaking frequently, but not at much length. He 
was doubtless at times vehement, and the federal papers called 
him young Hotspur; but if the evidence is to be trusted, he was 
not rash, like his gallant prototype; did not vaunt himself or 
talk foolishly. It may not be saying much, but it is safe to 
affirm that, if he were not the most conspicuous member on his 
side, he was certainly the ablest. His critics thought he bad an 
impediment of speech which they tried to imitate with types; 
but his utterance was always sufficient for his needs, as his op- 
ponents were not Ipng in finding out. The infirmity, never seri- 
ous, was soon mastered. So well satisfied with his work were 
his townsmen that they kept him in the house till wanted for a 
higher service. In 1820 and 1821, he was chairman of the finance 
committee, and in 1824, speaker. In April, 1825, he was elected 
a representative in Congress, which election vacated his seat in 
the state legislature to which he had been again chosen. 

The presidential election in the fall of 1824 was, in Connecticut, 
a very quiet one. The federalists, after repeated defeats, had be- 
come discouraged, contenting themselves with efforts to divide 
their opponents. They fell upon their leaders, denounced the 
caucus and its candidates, and voted for any of them who would 
consent to run on an independent ticket. Of the four presidential 
candidates, Adams, Jackson, Crawford and Clay, all republicans, 
many of them preferred Jackson, while the democrats very gen- 
erally favored Adams. A few, including Mr. Ingersoll, were 
friendly to Crawford. Adams, it will be remembered, was cho- 
sen president, not by the people, but by the house of represen- 



tatives. At the state election, in April, 1825, the administration- 
congressional ticket met with little opposition. In Washington, 
Mr. Ingersoll (who had more votes than any other of the new 
members) of course supported Adams. But in 1828, the New 
England candidate (Adams), running for a second term, then as 
before, supported by the New Haven Register, and having more 
than two-thirds of the votes of Connecticut, was signally de- 
feated by GeneralJackson. The New Haven Herald (federalist), 
the Hartford Times (democratic), and many of both parties sus- 
tained the latter. As the policy of the new President, set forth 
by his detractors as the "hero of two wars, nine duels and fifty 
cock-fights," became developed, the republicans of this State 
more and more gave him their confidence, while the other side 
withheld theirs. The election in the spring of 1831 eives evi- 
dence that the voters in considerable numbers were chaneins 
sides. For Congress there were two tickets, the national repub- 
lican, supported by those who sympathized with Clay, the leader 
of the opposition to Jackson, and the so-called regular republi- 
can, upheld by the friends of the administration. The former 
was elected by nearly a two-thirds vote. The Connecticut Jour- 
nal objected to Mr. Ingersoll (who was on Loth ticket-) on the 
ground that he had not exerted himself to obtain an appropria- 
tion for the Farmington Canal (!), and was not sufficiently active 
in his friendship for Henry Clay. 

Mr. Ingersoll (mayor of New Haven, in 1830-31), Mas in Con- 
gress from 1825 to 1833. At an early period lie took a high 
rank among its members. For three years lie served on the 
committee of the District of Columbia, but in L829 was 
placed on that of ways and means, the most important commit- 
tee of the house. Here he remained four years, holding daring 
his last term the second place. Among his distinguished asso- 
ciates were McDuffie, of S. C, Verplanck, of N. Y., Gilmore, of 

Penn., and at the close, Polk, of Tenn. While vet a new mem- 

2 



10 

her, lie spoke rarely, "but at a later period, not infrequently, al- 
ways with energy and effect. Able, incorruptible, industrious 
and vigilant, he appears to have given his time to the public busi- 
ness as he would have done to his own. Very clearly, he was 
not afraid of responsibility, and when the yeas and nays were 
called was nearly always in his place. On test questions, during 
the last four years, he voted with the other members from Con- 
necticut— Barber, Young, Ellsworth, Huntington and Storrs — 
on the side of the opposition. In doing so, he represented the 
largest wing of the democratic party at home. 

That President Jackson was a dangerous man, many of the 
great and good of all the old parties long believed— a man of 
destructive proclivities, self-willed, impatient of restraint, hold- 
in o- law and precedent in contempt. In short, he was viewed as 
a military man with military ideas and habits, and accustomed 
to summary processes. As President, he seemed to the conser- 
vatives not unlike a wild bull in a china shop, tossing about the 
state crockery. That he was a determined partisan, downright, 
sometimes passionate, rough on cherished abuses and steadfast 
in his antipathies, is undeniable. His veto of the Maysville road 
bill, his opposition to the prevalent system of internal improve- 
ments, his bitter hostility to the United States Bank and a pro- 
tection tariff — all to a large extent the work of that master- 
spirit, Henry Clay — appeared to the doubters, vindictive, unreas- 
onable and sometimes personal. Under these circumstances it is 
not strange that Mr. Ingersoll, constitutionally thoughtful and 
considerate, hesitated. But time proved that General Jackson was 
for the most part right — right in his ends if not in his means and 
motives. His sagacity was greater than many supposed, or else 
he was the most successful blunderer of his time. The democrats 
of Connecticut were a little tardy in perceiving the tendency of 
rival measures, and till developments, aided by much " sober 
second thought," made it certain, did not recognize the President 



11 

as the legitimate successor of Jefferson and Madison. The com g 
of the bank, and its attempt to wring f rom the government a 
new charter, using corrupt appliances and fostering a money- 
panic, helped to clear their vision. But, though delayed by mis- 
givings and reverses, the revolution of opinion wenl on till an 
active minority became a majority of the party and the State. 
When convinced that General Jackson was a wiser ami betl 

man than he seemed — a patriot struggling for the right Mr. 

Ingersoll, as in duty bound, recognized the -new departure," 
took part in the movement, and contributed largely to it- suc- 
cess. 

In the spring of 1833, after Mr. Ingersoll returned from Wash- 
ington, the democratic party united in voting for Henry W. Ed- 
wards for governor. They failed to elect him, but secured both 
branches of the legislature, and thus obtained their man. Though 
national republicans (afterward "whigs") were in every in- 
stance sent to Congress, the friends of the President were jubil- 
ant. They had long contended with adversity and defeat, and 
now hoped the tide was turning. But before the revolution * . - 
completed, and the party re-united and consolidated, a disasl 
overtook it. Secretary Taney, by order of the President, and in 
contempt of a resolution of the house of representative-, notified 
the Bank of the United States that the government funds, alter 
the first of October, 1833, would no more be placed in its cus- 
tody. The excitement was intense and a money-panic followed. 
Business was paralyzed, factories were closed, and working men 
in large numbers thrown out of employment. In the midsl of 
the storm, when tribulation and stinted larders had cowed the 
masses, the state election of April, 1834, came on. Edwards 
had been re-nominated, while on the same side -Mr. [ngersoll was 
a candidate for town representative. In vain was it urged th 
national politics had nothing to do with the state election. The 
voters, numerous beyond precedent, did not think so ; they 






12 

wanted work and wages, and both were defeated, the first by 
Samuel A. Foot, the last by Isaac H. Townsend. In other words, 
the "whigs" were triumphant; the "tories," soon to become 
" loco focos," prostrate. But adversity cured dissension; flagela- 
tion promoted harmony; and in another year the vanquished 
were again the victors. 

On going to Congress, as was customary at that time, Mr. In- 
gersoll gave up wholly the practice of law. Returning, he found 
his business w T as broken up: his former clients had sought other 
advisers, and at the age of forty-four, he was obliged to begin, 
as it were, anew. It was then that he regretted having accepted 
a position which took him from his much loved profession. But 
the industry and talent which had once achieved the victory soon 
enabled him to wear off the eight years' rust, and to regain all. 
he had lost. But before success had been fully attained, the 
great fire in New York, in 1836, swept off much of the 
property which, untouched by himself, had been reserved for 
the use of his family. The loss of course did not dishearten 
him, but made necessary redoubled effort. In 1833 he became 
state attorney, which office he filled with his usual fidelity and 
ability about twelve years. After the death of Nathan Smith, a 
senator of the United States, in December, 1835, Governor Ed- 
wards selected him to fill the vacancy — a position to which the 
legislature, which met in May following, would undoubtedly 
have elected him — but he peremptorily declined. Often when his 
party was in power was he requested to take the nomination for 
governor; and it is undoubtedly true that for a long time he 
could have had any office in the State which his political friends 
controlled. In only one instance did he depart from his purpose 
not to accept honors which interfered with his profession, and 
that was in 1846, when President Polk appointed him minister 
plenipotentiary to the Russian court. The two had served to- 
gether in Congress eight years, (one on the committee of ways 



4 



13 

and means,) and though at that time politically divided, had 
been intimate and trusted friends. The President knew the 
sterling qualities of his old associate, and without notia or in- 
timation, took the first opportunity to call them into public use. 
It is strictly true, as those who knew the man will readily be- 
lieve, that the compliment was unsoughl and unexpected.' 1 After 
an absence of two years, having served his government faithfully 
and ably, he gladly returned to his profession, and with unaba- 
ted vigor practiced it twenty years, never with more distin- 
guished success. 

Through life Mr. Ingersoll retained his interest in political 
affairs. Faithful to his early convictions, no man did more to 
sustain the character of his parly in this State; to restrain it- 
excesses and direct it to worthy, patriotic ends. A Bagacious 



* Since writing the text, the letter of President Polk to Air. Ingersoll teni I office 

has been shown to the writer. By his request, it is published here : 

Washington City, August 9th, 1846. 

My Dear Sir: 

You will no doubt be surprised to learn that you have, witboul 

your solicitation or knowledge, been nominated to theSenateof the United nd 

confirmed by that body as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to ' 
You are selected for this important mission, from my personal knowledge oi nd 

without the suggestion of any one. When I went to the capitol on lasl evenin for tin- 
convenience of congress, and especially of its committee on engrossed bills, as i- usual on 
the last nights of a session, I informed the two Senators from your State of my Intention. 
It was the first they knew of it. It is proper to explain to you how it happened thai ! 
did not consult you in advance. Some months agol had intimated, indeed e 
would appoint another person at the close of the session of congress and it was no 
until yesterday that I learned that the person alluded to had mad.' np his mind to de 
cline it. I had of course but a few hours left within which to make anotl 
In this instance, at least, the office has sought the man and not the man th< 
allow me to say, that it is to be regretted that this is not more frequently th< 
especially in regard to the higher positions under the government. 1 hope you 
cept the highly honorable and responsible station now tendered to you. In thai event 
have no doubt you will do great service to the country and do honor to the -tali 
as to yourself. 

I find myself much exhausted by the intense labor 1 have performed and tl con- 

finement I have suffered during the long session of congress now about I < 

I am, with great respect, 

Your friend and obedient Bervant, 

JAMES k POLK. 
Hon. Ralph I. Ingersoll, 
New Haven, 

Connecticut. 



14 

leader, wise and safe, he kept himself thoroughly informed of 
its condition and needs. Its meetings for consultation, he usu- 
ally attended, gave encouragement and advice without being 
obstrusivc, prepared resolutions and spoke and wrote as occasion 
required. To his neighbors and friends, he sometimes made a 
set speech, but would not go "stumping' round the country; 
nor would he charge himself with the details of party-work. 
Though long in political life and often tempted, his native 
dignity, his innate manhood, preserved him from contami- 
nation — from the vices of those unclean spirits which are the 
scourges of every political organization. Disreputable practices 
he discouraged as unprofitable and demoralizing. Though he 
did not escape detraction and even abuse, so few were his vul- 
nerable points, and so strong was he in character and the hearts 
of the people, that his opponents found profit in forbearance and 

discretion. 

Mr. Ino-ersoll loved his profession, and with unfaltering res- 
olution through a long life, devoted himself to it. Believing it a 
noble calling having the first claim on his time and talents, he 
denied himself the pleasures and diversions in which others in- 
dulged. For him there was no " vacation." The few years he 
spent in other but allied pursuits were grudged as comparatively 
unprofitable. With enthusiasm enough to give tension to the 
faculties, and make labor easy and productive, he fixed his mind 
irrevocably on the end. He desired to attain excellence and em- 
inence as a lawyer, and on that objective point were brought to 
bear the convergent forces of his whole nature. Having noble 
endowments — an intellect vigorous, methodical and well bal- 
anced, obedient to the will, and equipped with every needful 
adornment — toiling on year after year as if in the belief that gen- 
ius, so called, confers nothing but the power to work effectively — 
he could not miss the prize. Of necessity, he was a hard student, 
but not of books alone. Books supply facts and suggest thoughts 



15 

to the thoughtful, but of themselves never yet made a man -rent. 
Familiar with the teachings of others, he studied human nature 
profoundly, dissected character, and became acquainted with 
mind in all its variety, and thus gained the knowledge and skill 
which so distinguished him. 

Mr. Ingersoll, unlike those eccentric men who gain undeserved 
reputation by the unequal prominence- of a particular faculty or 
quality of mind, was noted for the proportionate and harmonious 
development of all the powers — powers which would have - 
cured distinction in any walk of intellectual Life. In him, there 
was no oddity of manner, no mental squinting, no strange or 
inverted way of thinking to attract attention. Sorry conceits 
and juggling devices to cheat the senses and capture the 
intellect formed no part of his capital in trade. An able and 
skillful lawyer, a vigorous thinker, adequately learned and 
familiar with the whole field of practice, he was content 
to earn his laurels fairly. His voice, pleasant almosl musical 
and of unusual compass, could be heard distinctly in its 
lowest tones. The ready, fluent speech, graceful delivery, active 
but natural and easy gesticulation; the energetic, earnesl man- 
ner, and the countenance which mirrored every thoughl : all 
contributed to his power as an advocate. While his language 
was select and scholarly, his argument was clear, logical, compact 
and complete. Eminently persuasive, forgetting nothing and 
digressing rarely, he touched lightly on the weaker points of In- 
case, and knew where to place the strain. If the chain broke tin- 
fault was not his. 

Though Air. Ingersoll could speak well with little premedi- 
tation, he was accustomed to prepare his cases thoroughly. 
He made them his own and gave his clients his sympathy, but 
looked at both sides, weighed opposing considerations, and 
tendered the best advice. Well fortified himself, he was 
quick to see and expose an unguarded point in the enemy, dex- 



16 

trously driving home bis advantage. Though when speaking to 
the court or a deliberative body, he addressed himself wholly 
to the intellect, using little ornament; when standing before a 
jury or popular assembly, he gave himself more liberty; was 
sometimes impetuous, often eloquent. On these occasions he 
would show his power over the common mind, putting himself 
in contact with those primitive sentiments, convictions and in- 
stincts which lie at the foundation of human nature, and which 
are older than reason. With his hand on these hidden springs of 
action, he shaped and directed the cerebral movements, awakened 
emotion, or quickened the sense of right, carrying his auditors 
whither he would. Says one of large experience: "He was the 
best public speaker I ever knew." In a notable degree he pos- 
sessed that personal magnetism by the aid of which the orator 
sways and sets on fire the sympathetic multitude. At one time 
he was humorous and witty, at another, serious and pathetic, and 
could be sarcastic. Oppression of the weak by the strong he 
would vehemently denounce; a prevaricating witness flay, if he 
could. 

Unlike most lawyers, Mr. I. was an experienced and accom- 
plished writer. Few of any profession wrote with equal ability 
or in better taste. At an early period he began to think on pa- 
per, and through life kept up the practice, supposing doubtless 
that it favored the accurate and logical working of the intellect. 
That he might keep up with the flow of thought, he wrote rapid- 
ly, but corrected with great care. If a sentence or word did not 
suit him; if it were capable of a meaning different from the one 
intended; if it did not express with sufficient fullness or preci- 
sion his finished thought; it was discarded and another sought. 
Even the punctuation seemed to him important, and he sometimes 
wrestled long over the question of comma or semi-colon. Con- 
cerning his facts he was conscientiously scrupulous, and would 
state nothing which was not wholly and exactly true. Though 



often writing under provocation and on exciting political ques- 
tions, he was thoughtful of character, and never offensively per- 
sonal. Said lie to an impulsive young editor : " Never speak or 
write ill of a political opponent." His compositions, like his 
published speeches and addresses, were perspicuous and packed 
with thought. They were not long and never drearv. Among 
his intimate friends he was known as a beautiful letter-writer. 

Perhaps no man ever lived a purer, more exemplary life than 
Ralph I. Tngersoll. His character, noted for its symmetry, w 
adorned by all the public and private virtues. Honorable, man- 
ly and just, it is believed he was never guilty of an acl of mean- 
ness or conscious wrong. Governed himself by a delicate sen 
of duty and honor, he marveled at the loose morality and mer- 
cenary instincts often exhibited by our public men; marveled at 
the sudden growth and fearful porportions of t he /<>/>/>j/._ Though 
tolerant and charitable, he had little patience with the organizi d 
wickedness of the day; little with those faithless incumbents of 
office who plunder the treasury and exchange their s r otes for 
money — or its equivalent. " When T was in Congress," he us< d 
to say, "the like things were unknown," or were too rare t<> 
have importance. An honest man and a patriot, the corruption 
and depravity everywhere visible distressed and alarmed him. 
He loved the government our fathers founded, and now in the 
day of its trial trembled for its safety. 

Accustomed to forecast events and weigh probabilities, Mr. 
Ingersoll was in the best sense a prudent man. Very properly 
he was reluctant to take a risk; would not give an opinion or 
advocate a measure unless there were solid grounds tor it ; would 
not put to hazard a good reputation, or butt his head against a 
wall, because pressed to do so. Not in the least fanatical, and 
opposed to radicalism and violence, he would go no further and 
no faster than seemed to him wise. In all things he was practi- 
cable and practical, well knowing the hidden force which a 

3 



18 



"masterly inactivity" may develop. Others were more advent- 
urous, more aggressive, and sometimes without deserving it got 
more reputation. On account of his habitual caution, some im- 
patient people thought he- lacked courage, but he was not afraid 
to do his duty. When the way was clear and the right appar- 
ent, he was ready to go forward, and if the case were urgent 
was il,, , as the fleetest. Surely cowardice, • physical or moral 
^d no place in his breast, as many incidents of his life strikingly 
exemplify. * ^ 

Mr. [ngersoll was delicately organized, slender, straight and 
had a healthy constitution. His height may have been' five 
feet mac; his weight, one hundred and thirty pounds For 
his size his head was large, full in the frontal region and 
prominent at the .angles. In later life he wore a black stock 
and shaved closely; had finely cut features, thin lips and dark 
eyes well protected by jutting brows. At times there was a 
nervous twitching (characteristic of three generations) about 
the eye and side of the face. Several years before his death 
he received an injury of the hip, and thenceforth walked with 
a halting step supported by a cane. Till nearly eighty, with 
"°« -tellect, he continued his practice, and till the last 
;- £* * ids office when health permitted. There he would 
s.t n his amihar arm-chair reading or writing, and giving a 
ord.a! welcome to any friend who might call. HisLimate 
aquamtan ce with political life and character, and the written 
■story of his time, taken in connection with his urbanity, kind- 
«-. —lor and simple dignity, made his conversation cu emely 
~in g and instructive. His opponents, in their helpless,, e ss 
~mes called him aristocratic; but he was the rever e o Z 
in dress, manners and mode of nt* i 

and feeling. Consistent hi ' ^"^ *" thon * ht 

men and tl ' Stently ' lle was ln Apathy with all honest 

men, and the furthest possible from ostentation and pretension 
allectation and r-mt J? • , . intension, 

and cant. Economical without parsimony, a slave to 



19 

no appetite, neat in person and attire, refined in his tastes; genial, 
large-hearted, a fast friend and thorough gentleman; he was a 
model of republican simplicity. Domestic in his habits, he loved 
his home and scarcely ever left it. With slow step across the 
green and about our city, he moved as noiselessly and unassum- 
ingly as any man among us. Six months before liis decease ;i 
fracture of the arm, the result of a fall on the City Bank Bteps, 
confined him to his house. Tie did not recover. Without :i 
known enemy, beloved and mourned by all, he died August 26th, 
1872. In his last years he was a communicant of Trinity church. 
His widow, of Dutch parentage, whose maiden name was Mar- 
garet Van den Heuvel, of New York, a lady of great energy and 
discretion, and who was indeed a help-meet, still survivi s. 
They were married February 10th, 1814. 



39 f 









^f • 4 °>v • 3? 



















4 o 

• -3 ^f 




^ *y^ 



"■i :^^. ^v 8 ^H 






o 
o' 



I o 















.* o 







^ 



» 



ft*"' ~Q. '♦•To 



P< 

















«•_ .rv 



4 



